Doctors in England said that smokers diagnosed with lung cancer should not assume they have a death sentence. Quitting smoking even if you are diagnosed with a fatal illness can greatly boost your chances of  survival.

63 to 70 percent of smokers who quit after diagnosis were still alive after five years. This 5-year period is a benchmark of survival in cancer research. On the other hand, only 29 to 33 per cent of smokers who continued to smoke survived this 5-year period, said an online report published by the British Medical Journal.

The study was a result of a review of 10 published studies in smoking and cancer survival carried out by scientists at Birmingham University, central England.

The authors speculated that tobacco smoke may accelerate progression of a tumor, although further work is needed to confirm this.

In spite of the lack of empirical evidence, the study showed it could be worthwhile for doctors to encourage smokers to give up their habit when diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer.

The connection between smoking and lung cancer has been know for many years. The risk of developing a primary lung tumor is 20 times greater for a hardcore smoker than a non-smoker, according to a 2003 study.

So smokers, stub it out while you still can!

If you find that you are smoking more cigarettes ove time, your dependence on nicotine has increased and this is the first telltale sign of the beginning of your addiction.

Then withdrawal symptoms occur when you stop smoking, and disappear when you smoke again. You have now developed a psychological dependence and have the urge to smoke again.

From statistics, it takes six months to one year to become dependent on nicotine if your take one to five puffs of cigarette every day.

Nearly half of smokers who have tried to quit before found it difficult to do so due to psychological dependence while another quarter of smokers found it difficult to quit due to physical dependence.

Physical dependence is when you experience the characteristic withdrawal symptoms when nicotine use is cut off, such as the intense craving for a smoke. Psychological dependence occurs when you develop a daily routine and a habit of smoking cigarettes.

It is a well know fact that nicotine is extremely addictive. It reaches the brain in less than 10 seconds with just a single puff. It then binds to receptors in the brain leading to the release of a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which in turn gives smokers the temporary feeling of pleasure.

Many smokers are aware of the health risks of smoking and have tried quitting, or planned to quit. However, the World Health Organzation estimates that less than 5 per cent of smokers who tried to quit unaided were able to stay smoke-free for only one year.

While its a well known fact that smoking causes Erectile Dysfunction (ED), recent studies have reinforced the harmful effects of cigarette smoking to impotence and infertility.

ED is the persistent inability to attain and maintain penile erections adequate for satisfactory sexual performance.

When you smoke, fatty deposits build up in the arteries supplying blood to your penis. This results in decreased blood flow to the penis, which causes ED.

Further reduction in blood flow can also result from rapid contractions in the penile tissue that restrict arterial blood flow into the penis. This is a direct result of nicotine stimulation in the brain.

Nicotine in the bloodstream also causes excessive outflow from veins in the penis and this reduces the duration of an erection.

However, these are not the only problems. Men who smoke also have lower sperm count and motility. There are also increased abnormalities in sperm shape and function.

On the other hand, if you choose to stop smoking, your sperm motility almost always improves, though the other effects will improve only if the arteries are not permanently hardened and damaged.

Studies have shown that smoking causes infertility within months and ED within four to five years.

Women smokers do not fare that well either. You will have decreased egg counts and are more likely to have painful and irregular menstruation. Also, the risk of early menopause will be markedly increased and you are four times more likely to suffer from cervical cancer than a non-smoker.

Should you become pregnant, you also face an increased risk of miscarriages and are twice as likely to have an ectopic pregnancy.

An ectopic pregnancy happens when the fertilized egg grows outside the uterus.

Smoking is also responsible for 15 per cent of premature births.

There is help for you if you want to stop smoking immediately. You can join the smoking cessation clinic near you home, or download this quit smoking ebook here.

To go cold turkey, you have to set a quit date to stop smoking. Once the day arrives, throw away your cigarettes, lighters/matches, ashtrays… anything and everything that reminds you of smoking. Withdrawal symptoms are the most intense using the cold turkey method.
The success rate is about 10%, using data obtained from clinical trial. However, it could increase to 20% if cold turkey is supplemented by nicotine replacement therapy or prescription medication to help you cope with cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

2. Gradual Reduction

As with cold turkey, you too need to set a quit date for this method. The only difference is that you have to progressively cut down on your cigarettes until you no longer smoke. Say you smoke 10 sticks of cigarettes per day, you may set a target to quit in 10 days. Along the way, you reduce 1 stick a day until the tenth day when you have to quit smoking completely. This greatly reduces your cravings and withdrawal symptoms aren’t as strong as the cold turkey method.

3. Nicotine Replacement Therapy

With Nicotine Replacement Therapy, you use products such as patches, gums and inhalers. These products release small amounts of nicotine into the body, thereby alleviating withdrawal symptoms. Since only a small amount of nicotine is absorbed slowly into your body, these products are not addictive.
The success rate is in the high teens for smokers who use nicotine replacement therapy.

4. Prescription Medication

Prescription drugs can reduce your cravings and withdrawal symptoms. For example, the drug Chantix interrupts the pleasure that smokers derive from smoking by working on the same receptors in the brain that nicotine stimulates. It also works by occupying these receptors and preventing nicotine from stimulating them. When you are taking Chantix, you do not derive as much satisfaction from smoking as before. Therefore, you are less likely to want to continue smoking.

5. Hypnotherapy or Hypnosis

You are placed under hypnosis to help you quit smoking. This can be done with a hypnotherapist, or with audio products. Some people are known to have responded to only a single session of therapy. Hypnotherapy deals with the habits and behaviors associated with smoking and there is no need for any medication. It may also deal with the underlying issues of emotional smokers or people who smoke when they are in a lousy mood. If you are this kind of smoker, you might benefit from this kind of treatment. Click here for more information.

6. Rob Mellor’s Quit Smoking Today

Rob Mellor is an expert in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic-Programming). NLP is a form of psychotherapy which he has applied to help smokers quit smoking. His revolutionary techniques have been extensively tested on over 5000 smokers and the results were indeed impressive, judging by his claims at his website. Click here to find out more.
The advantage of this program is that it eradicates the usual problems that are associated with quitting smoking such as cravings, short temper, hunger and weight gain. It’s like going cold turkey without torturing yourself.

SINGAPORE: More people are giving hypnosis a shot in their efforts to quit smoking. While this form of treatment has been available here for at least ten years now, more hospital professionals are being trained in it.

Some 30 health care professionals will complete a clinical hypnosis course conducted by London College of Clinical Hypnosis in collaboration with Tan Tock Seng Hospital in October.

The whole session will take about 1.5 hours and according to therapist Mdm Karen Ong from the London College of Clinical Hypnosis, the therapy is very safe.

Sheila Menon, principal, London College of Clinical Hypnosis, said: “What happens is when a smoker decides to quit smoking, they can go into a relaxed state and focus acutely on what it is they want to achieve and they can break the habit. In addition to that, they can also imagine themselves as a non—smoker in the future.”

But does this method work for teenagers who do not want to quit smoking?

Ms Menon said: “When a parent brings a teenager who really doesn’t want to quit, we quite often say, ’Why not give it a shot? Try out being a non—smoker and you can choose to remain a non—smoker, or go back to smoking.’”

The hope is that they will benefit from the attempt. — CNA/vm/ls

The research was conducted by Dr Inga-Cecilie Soerheim and researchers at the Bringham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and the University of Bergen in Norway.

Dr Soerheim said their analysis indicated that women may be more vulnerable to the effects of smoking as they may be more susceptible to the toxic effects of cigarette smoking.

A total of 954 people in Norway with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – including lung problems from chronic bronchitis to emphysema – were tested. About 60 percent were men and 40 percent were women. All were either ex-smokers or current smokers.

Health official are especially concerned about COPD as more people are affected with this disease. It currently affects more than 200 million people worldwide, and the trend is rising. The most common symptoms are shortness of breath and coughing.

The study revealed that both groups had similar lung impairments. However, the researchers found that among the younger subjects and those who were light smokers, women had more severe disease and worse lung function than men.

“This means that female smokers in our study experienced reduced lung function at a lower level of smoking exposure and at an earlier age than men,” Dr Soerheim said.

“Many people believe that their own smoking is too limited to be harmful – that a few cigarettes a day represent a minimal risk,” she said. “However, in the low exposure group in this study, half of the women actually had severe COPD.”

Another smoking related threat to children’s health has been identified by experts, and its not easy to get rid of. Its called third-hand smoke, a term coined by doctors from MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston, US, in a new study that focused on the risks they pose to infants and children.

Third-hand smoke is the invisible toxic brew of gases and particles that lingers and settles on the cushions and carpets long after smoke has cleared from your room. Even if you smoke outdoors, third-hand smoke can still cling to your hair and clothes.

Its easy for young children to be exposed to this toxic brew. If you have small kids crawling or playing on the floor or sofa, the residue can get on their hands and ingest. This is especially worrying as the third-hand smoke includes very toxic residue of heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials.

Dr Jonathan P. Winickoff, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of paediatrics at Harvard Medical School says: “Everyone knows that 2nd hand smoke is bad, but they don’t know about this. When their kids are out of the house, they might smoke. Or they smoke in the car.

“Or they strap the kid in the car seat in the back and crack the window and smoke, and they think it’s okay because the second-hand smoke isn’t getting to their kids. We needed a term to describe these tobacco toxins that aren’t visible.”

He continues: “Third-hand smoke is what one smells when a smoker gets in an elevator after going outside for a cigarette, or in a hotel room where people were smoking. Your nose isn’t lying. The stuff is so toxic that your brain is telling you, ‘Get away’.”

Says Dr Philip Landrigan, a paediatrician who heads the Children’s Environmental Health Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York: “The central message here is that simply closing the kitchen door to take a smoke is not protecting the kids from the effects of that smoke. There are carcinogens in this third-hand smoke that they are a cancer risk for anybody of any age who comes into contact with them.”

The study used ultrasound to measure how the arteries of healthy young adults respond to changes in blood flow. 18 college students were recruited for their study. Among them, half smoked less than a pack a week and were smoke-free for two days prior to the test. The other half were non-smokers.

They found that the arteries of the occasional smokers were 36 per cent less responsive to changes in blood flow than non-smokers. The occasional smokers were asked to smoke two cigarettes after they underwent their initial test. The researchers then re-examined their arteries and found that smoking dropped their arterial responsiveness by another 24 percent compared to before they smoked.

Study co-author Kevin McCully, a professor of kinesiology in the UGA College of Education, have this to say: “Most people know that if they have a cigarette or two over the weekend that it’s not good for their arteries, but what they may not be aware of—and what our study shows—is that the decrease in function persists into the next week, if not longer.”

McCully went on to explain that the healthier an artery is, the more responsive it is to changes in blood flow. An impaired flow-mediated dilation, as a result of a reduction in responsiveness, is an early sign of arterial damage that often foreshadows cardiovascular disease.

“We saw a definite effect of cigarettes on the arteries, even in young people who you would expect to be healthy,” he said.

By creating a stop smoking support group, your chances of successfully quitting smoking will be much higher. Using a stop smoking support group has always been a stumbling block for smokers trying to tackle their addictions. Smoking addicts have a strong tendency to resist support, without realizing that receiving adequate support will in many cases mean the difference between success and failure.

Surveys have found that success in quitting smoking is associated with having a non-smoking partner, and not being exposed to smokers in the household and social environment.

Here’s what you can do to create a quit smoking support group. Enlist the help of your family members, friends, and colleagues; people who know about your plan to quit smoking. Get them to support and motivate you. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Ask your colleagues sitting next to you to remind you whenever you have the urge to smoke. Go for tea breaks with non-smoking colleagues.
2. Request your family members/partner to give words of encouragement for everyday that you don’t smoke.
3. Let your friends know that you won’t be able to go for your usual drinks with them at the pub for the first 3-5 months. If they are your true friends, they will understand that this is for your own good.

The existence of supportive family, partner and friends enhances the success in quitting smoking. Also, it helps to know what happens when you stop smoking. So go ahead and form your quit smoking support group now. The more people there are in your quit smoking support group, the better it is to help you quit smoking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo3DtVsoeS0

Many people asked how I did it, or what was the right way to quit smoking. All I can say is If it wasn’t because my wife was pregnant with our first child, I would still be smoking today. I loved smoking, and quitting hadn’t really crossed my mind then. But reality struck me like a bolt of lightning when we visited the gynecologist for the first time. Boy, did he give me a good lecture on the harmful effects of second hand smoke on the unborn baby! I cringed at the thought that my child would be born with any kind of birth defects as a result of my smoking. That was enough motivation for me to quit, really.

I didn’t go cold turkey right away. I tried that a few times on previous occasions, but ended up smoking more! I decided that the best way for me was not to repeat the same mistake, but to try new methods, and that was to cut down on my cigarettes daily. I planned on stopping smoking completely in 2 months. As I was on 20 sticks a day, my plan was:

Day 1-10: 15 sticks
Day 10-30: 10 sticks
Day 31-40: 8 sticks
Day 41-50: 5 sticks
Day 51-60: 3 sticks
Day 61 on: No more cigarettes

I had hoped that this “cutting down” technique could minimize the withdrawals that I had experienced the last time I tried to quit. And indeed it had. As a matter of fact, by around day 53, I had already stopped smoking. I was always ahead of schedule along the way. The trick is to set yourself a realistic target. I feel this is the right way to quit smoking for people who are worried about withdrawals. It is so much easier to completely stop smoking if you’re on 3 sticks a day than if you’ve been smoking a pack a day.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy to quit without the support and encouragement of my wife. I guess you could say the anxiety of being a first-time parent helped overcome the nicotine addiction as well.

It had been a long time since I’ve had a cigarette. In the course of it all, I still had to fight withdrawals, but the discomfort soon disappeared. It took about 5 months for me to completely forget about smoking, about the same time as the birth of my son. Talk about perfect timing!

I was already completely a non smoker when my son was born. Seeing what a lovely and healthy baby he is, it is indeed not difficult to find just one reason to quit smoking… for my family.

It was in high school that Joan Tandy started smoking. Urged on by her friends, she smoked her first cigarette when she was barely out of her teens.
“It looked cool then, and all my friends in school were doing it, so I joined in. In retrospect, I was really stupid to have caved in to peer pressure,” said the 27-year-old programmer.

Joan did try to quit when she was in her early 20s.
“I managed for about a month. But during those few weeks I was smoking socially. So it didn’t work. I picked it up again after going to a party,” she said.
And it didn’t help that all her friends were smokers.
“Usually when I hang out with them, I will have the urge to smoke. After all, they are my friends. I can’t drop them like I dropped cigarettes!” She said laughing.

But after 10 years of smoking a pack a day, Joan decided to call it quits.
“It was late last year. My poor health has been affecting my work, and since the new year was just around the corner, I thought I should make quitting smoking my new year resolution. I tried different ways and means to quit smoking without much success. Then I chanced upon this quit smoking hypnotherapy thing, and haven’t looked back since,” she said.

Although her reason for wanting to quit smoking was because of health, vanity was also part of the reason why she wanted to kick the habit.
“Every time that I had a manicure done, no matter what color I used, they would end up yellowish a day or two later. My hair and hands also reeked of cigarette smoke all the time – no matter how many times I washed them.”
The hardest part to come to term with was her teeth.
“They were so badly stained that when I went to extract a decayed tooth, the dentist actually gave me a free cleaning of my front teeth to make them presentable. Now how insulting was that!”
“It was also devastating to hear people telling me that I looked much older than my actual age. That really hurt,” she said.

For women that don’t care much about their health, these bad experiences can be good motivations to quit smoking.
“Indeed, whenever I have the urge to smoke, I will think about how I used to smell and how unattractive my nicotine-stained teeth and fingers used to be. It’s worked so far,” she smiled.

Joan has also taken up karate once a week to build her stamina.
“Karate is a better way to work out frustrations and stress than cigarettes. Having that puff may have made me feel I had got the frustrations out of the way, but only now do I realize it just added more problems,” she said.

Her advice: “Don’t start. It is easy to pick up that first stick. It is really hard to put down the last one.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DbFBu_I_lA

Please read this report on the effect of Tar on your health by Science Daily:

Cigarette tar is deposited in the lungs of smokers, and these lung tissues are continuously bathed in an aqueous solution that can dissolve and transport the water-soluble chemicals in the tar.
According to William A. Pryor, Ph.D., Director of the Biodynamics Institute at Louisiana State University, this aqueous cigarette tar (ACT) extract is a complex mixture of hundreds of compounds that can cause DNA damage. Now Pryor’s research has shown that some of the most active compounds in ACT are compounds called hydroquinones, and their derivatives, quinones and semiquinones. (Semiquinones are free radicals — reactive chemical species that have an odd number of electrons.) Using mammalian cells, Pryor has shown that these semiquinone free radicals are critically involved in causing DNA damage of a type that is not easily repaired and therefore might lead to mutations and cancer.

“It is very likely that these highly reactive free radicals are involved in the toxicity associated with cigarette smoking,” Pryor says.

In other words, if you do not get rid of the tar in your lungs, there is always a chance that some form of cancer or other illnesses might develop.

To learn how to cleanse your lungs of tar deposits, please go to Lung Detox

All too often smokers are only concerned with the best ways to quit smoking. This results in skipping important steps in understanding the bad habit of smoking, and simply trying to replace one bad habit for another. Some try methods that supposedly help people quit smoking, like by chewing gum or taking pills, or wearing a patch. What smokers really need is education on the bad habit of smoking, not some kind of medicines to help stop smoking.

Nicotine Addiction
People are addicted to nicotine only about 20% — the rest of the addiction is purely psychological. So the chemical affect of the drug is a lot lower than what you might think. Actually, each cigarette that you smoke gives you satisfaction through words and thoughts, getting you hooked to smoking. If you want to quit smoking, there is a simple way out. Learn to think like a non-smoker. It’s all there in the mind. Pills and quit smoking programs are not the best ways to quit smoking, and will make no difference until you make yourself realize that you must stick to your decision to quit smoking.

One of the best ways to quit smoking is to first understand that nicotine addiction is a parasite that is slowly ending your life by eating into your mind and body. Imagine how free you will feel, getting up every morning and realizing that your day does not have to start with a cigarette and that you have finally become a non-smoker.

Smoking 101
Anti-smoking campaigns, TV shows and ads, and other media and online information have highlighted the bad effects of smoking. However, smoking is difficult to quit because in a nutshell, it is an addiction. And addictions are hard to break.

So, what can you do to stop smoking? Over time what needs to happen for long term effectiveness is that you need to actually slow down when reaching for a cigarette and lighting up. You need to then ask yourself why smoking is necessary at that point in time, and consciously note the affects it has on yourself, your family, and others around you. Smoking destroys the body. Period. It destroys your life and anyone breathing in the harmful smoke.

Have a positive attitude and snuff out the cigarette. Cultivate new habits, pick up a hobby, and exercise. These are really the best ways to quit smoking for good.

The first step towards getting rid of any bad habit is to prepare yourself mentally as well as physically. Through determination and endurance, some people will succeed, and sadly many will fail. If you find yourself in this situation, it may be a good idea to use smoking cessation medications.

Studies have shown that an increasing number of smokers are turning to drugs and medicines to help them stop smoking. As a result of the increased demand, many types of medicines and drugs have been developed for different form of treatments. A lot of money is spent on R&D to develop the most effective drugs, and a lot of work has been done in the field of addictions and behavior modification to find the cure. Indeed, modern medicine has helped many men and women quit smoking for good.

Cigarettes contain tobacco, nicotine and some very harmful chemicals like ammonia, cyanide, benzene, butane, lead, DDT etc. Although these chemicals are very harmful, nicotine is still the root cause of smoking addiction.

A person who smokes craves for nicotine, the nicotine receptor cells in the brain become accustomed to excess dosage of nicotine. This is what makes an addict repeat the intake of cigarette. Though at the time it feels stimulating or relaxing it actually causes many respiratory disorders and other damages to the body. Modern medicine copes with this craving for nicotine, controls it and reduces it to a minimum.

Generally there are two kinds of medicines available in the market, the Nicotine Replacement products and Non-Nicotine medicines. A Nicotine Replacement product assists by providing nicotine to our body without other chemicals and tobacco. It helps by reducing the craving for cigarettes, thus providing the opportunity of completely getting rid of the bad habit. The Non-Nicotine medicines are usually anti-depressant drugs that have therapeutic effect and assist in your effort to quit smoking. These are some of the recommended medicines that can help you stop smoking that are available in the market.

Facts About Smoking:

1. On average, you will die 16 years earlier than normal. Not only that, your death will most likely be a painful one, from smoking related diseases such as cancer and stroke.
2. Your child will be more prone to asthma and ear, nose and chest infections, increased risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome, and increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
3. You will have a harder time finding the right job as employers know that smokers are more likely to have sick leave than non-smokers. When the economy is bad, everything being equal, smokers will be the first to be retrenched.
4. If you are single, your chances of bedding a hot date are greatly reduced. Nobody wants to bed someone with bad breath, stained teeth, and can’t last the distant as a result of smoking related conditions such as impotence and pre-mature ejaculation.
5. Smoking not only costs you your health, but it also costs you a mini fortune! An average smoker burns up to $3,102.50 a year. Multiply that by 20 years and think what you could do with that money!

If you still insist on smoking your health and happiness away, by all means carry on your path to a slow and painful death. Otherwise, if you are serious about quitting smoking, don’t despair. There’s still hope yet.

Quit Smoking Facts:

1. Within 3 months after quitting, there will be significant improvement in the functions of all your internal organs. Your heart attack risks drops, and your lungs begin to clear out mucous and other smoking debris. You will begin to love life, as your sense of smell and taste return to normal, and you will have the energy to participate in the activities you used to love doing.
2. Your loved ones will be very proud of you, not because you have quit, but the fact that you even tried in the first place. And they will be forever grateful that you have stopped poisoning them with tobacco chemicals, day in day out.
3. You will be fresh and brimming with confidence. Because you have just overcome a big obstacle, you will be so confident that you will ace that interview that will land you your dream job. Even better, your present boss will be so impressed with your quitting smoking that he gives you a promotion!
4. You are a magnet in any social occasions. Beautiful people want to be seen with you. You look cool and confident. You can bring anyone you desire home, and you will enjoy romance and sex like never before.
5. You will find that you always have extra cash at the end of the month, unlike the times when you were a smoker. Save it, give your loved ones a treat, or indulge in yourself a little. Whatever you decide to do with the extra money, you would have made someone happy.

Now, that should be incentive enough for you to quit smoking. Quitting smoking is never difficult. It’s all in the mind. If quitting smoking ever crosses your mind, then you CAN quit! Our free 5-Day quit smoking eCourse is designed to make quitting smoking painless and enjoyable. Just follow every step of the way and you will be a non-smoker in no time. Go ahead and download this free quit smoking eCourse now!

The Health Benefits of Smoking Cessation: A report of the Surgeon General. US DHHS, 1990.

This is what happens the moment you stopped smoking.

Within 20 Minutes:
Your blood pressure, pulse rate, and the temperature of your hands and feet will all return to normal.

Within 8 Hours:
Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in blood will reduce by half. Oxygen levels will return to normal.

Within 24 Hours:
Carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body. Lungs start to clear out mucous and other smoking debris.

Within 48 Hours:
Damaged nerve endings have started to regrow and your sense of smell and taste are beginning to return to normal.

Within 72 Hours:
Your entire body will test 100% nicotine-free and over 90% of all nicotine metabolites will now have passed from your body via your urine. You can also expect the symptoms of chemical withdrawal to have peaked in intensity. Your bronchial tubes are beginning to relax thus making it easier to breathe. Your lung capacity has also started to increase.

Within 10 – 14 Days:
Your body has physically adjusted to again functioning without nicotine and the more than 3,500 chemical particles and 500 gases present in each and every puff.

Within 2 – 12 Weeks:
Your heart attack risk has started to drop. Your lung function is beginning to improve. Your circulation has also substantially improved. Walking has become easier. Your chronic cough, if any, has likely disappeared.

Within 3 – 9 Months:
Any smoking related sinus congestion, fatigue or shortness of breath have decreased. Cilia have regrown in your lungs thereby increasing their ability to handle mucus, keep your lungs clean, and reduce infections. Your body’s overall energy has increased.

Within 5 Years:
Your excess risk of coronary heart disease has dropped to less than half that of a smoker.

Within 10 Years:
Your risk of death from lung cancer has declined by almost half if you were an average smoker (one pack per day). Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus has now decreased. Your risk of stroke has declined to that of a non-smoker.

Within 15 Years:
Your risk of coronary heart disease is now that of a person who has never smoked.

As you can see, the moment you stopped smoking, your body functions will start returning to normal and the physical health benefits are almost instantaneous. This is what happens when you quit smoking immediately. If you are looking to start quitting, there is no better time than now. I am sure this report will give you the strength and determination to quit smoking…NOW!

Eric Owen hopes this will be third time lucky. In his third attempt to quit smoking, he has not picked up a cigarette for 8 months, a personal record, considering that he was on more than a pack a day. His previous record was his second attempt –six and a half months, or 198 days to be exact. His first attempt was a total disaster.

“I tend to smoke whenever I have alcohol. I was at this party where they served alcohol, and I couldn’t resist the temptation when someone offered me a cigarette. That is the reason I picked up smoking again after having quit for more than 6 months,” said the 36-year-old banker ruefully.

This is a classic case. If there is a single most important tip to help quit smoking, it is the word avoidance. Now Eric is much more careful about mixing his vices. He is aware of how vulnerable he is when confronted with both alcohol and cigarette at the same time. He has smoked for more than half his life, at the ripe young age of 16, when he was hanging out with older kids around the block that offer him the occasional cigarette or two.

“I started smoking seriously when I was in college. I had a part-job then and could afford to buy my own,” he said. For almost 20 years, he smoked at least a pack a day.
“I tried to quit smoking twice. I used nicotine patches, gums, basically any kind of medicine to help stop smoking. I managed to go smoke-free for quite a while, until that unfortunate night at the party,” he said.
His final reality check was last year, when he had lung infection and was too sick to work. He ended up spending more than 3 weeks at home alone – his wife had to work during the day.

“It was a really unbearable 3-week. I was too weak to even get out of bed!”
Encouraged by his wife, he decided to quit – once and for all. It also helps that he has an understanding employer.
When he returned to work, “The company organized a talk about the perils of smoking and encouraged us to sign up, which I did. So this is how I quit smoking, by taking that first step.” he said.
“I am happy to say I haven’t picked up a cigarette for 8 months,” he said firmly.

More and more companies have banned smoking in the workplace, and many have even dismantled the smoking rooms. All these measures help, but Eric knows he has to do more. A consequence of which is that he stopped seeing friends who are smokers, or going to parties where alcohol is served. It has not been easy. He also looked for a distraction, and found it in exercising.
“I started exercising the moment I was well. I hit the gym 3 to 4 times a week, and work out for about an hour and a half each time,” he said.

Aside from a sense of personal satisfaction, he has seen his decision pay off in other ways. His blood pressure is no longer dangerously high, because of the exercise and the absence of the harmful chemicals. And he no longer gets breathless each time he climbs up the 3 flight of stairs to his office.

“It is back to normal and I am off medication,” he said, smiling.

His advice to smokers who want to quit: “Stop associating with activities that will generally make you smoke. Avoidance is really one of the best ways to quit smoking. Let your smoker friends know that you are trying to quit smoking. Seek their understanding and tell them you can only meet them if they don’t smoke in your presence. Indirectly, your actions may also be able help someone stop smoking!”

People try to stop smoking cold turkey, or turn to religion, patches, or nicotine gum. Some even try to quit smoking cigarettes by hypnosis. So, just what can you do to stop smoking? With so many choices available for help to quit smoking, here are some tips to add to them in order to conquer bad cigarette smoking habits once and for all and breathe fresher, healthier air.

Change Mindset
Start thinking clearer, and your mind will lead your body to a clearer, healthier state. You can begin by heading to your local library and checking out books, videos, cassettes, DVDs and other resources to help you stop smoking. Other good topics are on self-improvement, healthy diets, and motivational and inspirational themes. See if there are any support groups in your area on any of these subjects and search online for forums to find friends to work through any issues with and have fun with to get your mind off smoking and onto better subjects.

Also line up some support people on your home front, off line. You don’t need friends who still smoke that will say things like, “Well, a half a pack a day isn’t bad, don’t worry about it.” You need encouraging, healthy friends to see you through the good times and bad times like you’ll see them through in exchange. So get a list going of people you can reach out to instead of reaching for a smoke: healthy neighbors, family, friends, etc. This will be your quit smoking support group.

Develop Healthier Habits
A great way to break an old habit is to start a new one. So here are some you could replace smoking with. Instead of lighting up:

• Put your cigarette money aside in a jar and save it for a special celebration trip somewhere fun.
• Instead of picking up a cigarette to smoke, pick up a book, magazine, newspaper or newsletter and catch up on your reading
• Instead of smoking, do some journaling, logging your pain, agony, hope, improved health, etc. Have fun and use magic markers and stickers in it and don’t worry about your spelling!
• Instead of smoking, go to a gym and work out or work out at home or outside.
• Instead of smoking, do something nice for someone else – and don’t tell them!

This should be how you quit smoking cigarettes. OK, time to get moving. Go get ‘em!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVI9nQR3ZVk

This is really funny.

After watching this video, I can guarantee you will think twice about ever smoking on a balcony full of people!